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The story of Shellac and the Laccifer Lacca (Lac Beetle)

From the beetle to the tree, 'Shellac' embarks on a remarkable process before it is purified for commercial use. The Laccifer Lacca (Lac Beetle) is a scale insect from the cohiael family. Measuring just 5mm in length when fully grown, it resides on certain trees in southern Asia. They can be found on trees such as the Ficus, Palas, Kusum and Ber. The Lac Beetle produces the raw material for Shellac.'

Larvae draw sap from fresh shoots and then secrete a saliva known as "Lac." The Lac builds up and hardens over the Beetle to form a protective shell. The Lac continues to build up over the reproductive cycle.
The male fertilizes the female, then dies, leaving the female to produce a larvae of anywhere between 200 to 10,000 Lac Beetle's.

The amber coloured Lac is the raw material for "Shellac." Shellac is used for French polishing, food, medicine and many other household products.

At the end of the cycle, the adult Beetle's are harvested, separated and purified.

Some adult Lac Beetle's are left behind to provide food for the newly born larvae. The process starts over again, taking 300,000 Lac Beetle's to produce a 1kg sack of Shellac.

Learn more about this author, Perry Toone.
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